HM Treasury

Gambling: Taxation

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the tax revenue that may be received from the Point of Consumption Tax on online betting and gaming.

Damian Hinds: At Budget 2012, the Government announced it would move to taxing remote gambling on a place of consumption basis. This change came into force on 1st December 2014, and was expected to raise additional Exchequer revenues of £70 million in 2014-15, £240 million in 2015-16, and £270 million in 2016-17.HMRC publish receipts from the three affected duties (general betting duty, pool betting duty and remote gaming duty). From April 2015, following the reforms, remote gaming duty receipts are published separately (they were previously combined with gaming duty). A breakdown of general betting duty and pools betting duty into remote and non-remote components is not available. The bulletin can be found here: https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutybulletins.aspx.As the OBR mentioned in their November 2015 Economic and Fiscal Outlook, no yield from the reform was received until the beginning of 2015-16 because of an extension to the first accounting period.

Minimum Wage

Emily Thornberry: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding has been provided to HM Revenue and Customs to enforce compliance with minimum wage legislation in each of the last 10 years.

Emily Thornberry: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many full-time equivalent staff were employed by HM Revenue and Customs to enforce compliance with minimum wage legislation in each of the last 10 years.

Mr David Gauke: The Government is committed to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation and effective enforcement of it. Everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it. Employers who pay workers less than the minimum wage not only have to pay back arrears of wages at current minimum wage rates but also face financial penalties of up to £20,000 per underpaid worker.The Government has increased annual funding of National Minimum Wage enforcement by over 60% since 2010, meaning a £13.2m budget in 2015/16.This has enabled a significant expansion of resources dedicated to enforcing the minimum wage; there are currently 237 staff (224.05 full-time equivalent) in HM Revenue and Customs’ National Minimum Wage teams, up from 171 at the start of 2014/15.Previous years’ detail is provided in the table below:YearFunding allocated by BIS (or predecessor departments) (£m)Full-time equivalent staff2006/075.8Not available2007/086.8Not available2008/097.6139.162009/108.3140.182010/118.1142.182011/128.3138.882012/138.3142.372013/148.3157.852014/159.2*183.47*Increased in-year

Minimum Wage

Emily Thornberry: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many investigations were carried out by HM Revenue and Customs National Minimum Wage compliance officers in each of the last six years.

Emily Thornberry: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints from (a) employees and (b) third parties were received by HM Revenue and Customs' National Minimum Wage Risk Unit in each of the last six years.

Emily Thornberry: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many full-time equivalent staff were employed within HM Revenue and Customs' (a) National Minimum Wage Risk Unit, (b) National Minimum Wage compliance teams and (c) Criminal Investigations Directorate in each of the last six years.

Emily Thornberry: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints were referred by HM Revenue and Customs' National Minimum Wage Risk Unit to National Minimum Wage compliance teams in each of the last six years.

Emily Thornberry: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total budget allocated to HM Revenue and Customs' (a) National Minimum Wage Risk Unit, (b) National Minimum Wage compliance teams and (c) Criminal Investigations Directorate was in each of the last six years.

Mr David Gauke: The Government is determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) receives it. Anyone who feels they have been underpaid NMW should contact the confidential Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) review all complaints that are referred to them. However, some complaints may not lead to the commencement of an investigation. This might be due to incomplete information being provided, or the worker subsequently wishing to withdraw their complaint. Similarly, multiple complaints about the same employer would only be recorded under one investigation.In 2014/15, 2489 worker complaints and 691 pieces of third party information were referred to HMRC. However, I reiterate that not all complaints will lead to an investigation. In previous years, HMRC did not record statistics by complaints received, but by investigations completed. In 2014/15, HMRC completed 2204 investigations. I refer the honourable member to the answer provided to her on 6 May 2014 at Hansard Column 110W for information on prior years.Staff across HMRC contribute to enforcing NMW, including people who work in legal advice, debt management, technical support and criminal investigation amongst others, but HMRC does not record the specific numbers of those staff involved beyond this. The budget allocated to HMRC by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is provided as an overall amount. I therefore refer the honourable member to the answers provided to her at UIN 16853 for budget details & UIN 16938 for information on staffing.

Tax Avoidance

Julie Cooper: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the benefit to the public purse of the closing of tax loopholes in each of the next five years.

Mr David Gauke: Revenue protected in connection with avoidance measures is scored in relevant documentation published by HM Treasury.However, for convenience on 19 March 2015 the coalition government published a document detailing the action taken over the course of the last Parliament to tackle tax evasion and avoidance. That document can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/tackling-tax-evasion-and-avoidance

Treasury: Labour Mobility

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many civil servants in his Department are in the redeployment pool.

Harriett Baldwin: The function of the redeployment pool is to give appropriate support to employees who have become surplus as a permanent post no longer exists for them. The redeployment pool helps them remain in employment and provides priority access to vacancies before they are advertised across Treasury.There are no employees in the HMT redeployment pool.

Minimum Wage

Emily Thornberry: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many completed inspections were carried out by HM Revenue and Customs as part of its duty to enforce minimum wage legislation in 2014-15.

Emily Thornberry: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2015 to Question 16850, how many (a) Notices of Underpayment and (b) financial penalties were issued to employers by HM Revenue and Customs for non-compliance with minimum wage legislation in 2014-15.

Emily Thornberry: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints from workers were received by HM Revenue and Customs on non-compliance with minimum wage legislation in 2014-15.

Mr David Gauke: The Government is committed to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation and effective enforcement of it. Everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it. Employers who pay workers less than the minimum wage not only have to pay back arrears of wages at current minimum wage rates but also face financial penalties of up to £20,000 per underpaid worker.HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) enforces the national minimum wage (NMW) legislation on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). It does so by investigating all complaints made about employers suspected of not paying the minimum wage, and carrying out targeted enforcement where it identifies a high risk of non-payment of NMW across the whole of the UK.I refer the honourable member to the answer provided at UIN 28587 for information on recovery of arrears and on the number of incidences of non-compliance on 26 November 2015.In 2014/15, HMRC issued financial penalties on 735 employers totalling £934,660 for non-compliance with NMW legislation.In 2014/15, HMRC completed 2,204 investigations as part of its duty to enforce minimum wage legislation.Any worker who believes that they are being paid below the minimum wage should contact Acas on 0300 123 1100. HMRC reviews every complaint that Acas refer to it but these may not always lead to an investigation. In 2014/15, HMRC received 2489 worker complaints via the helpline.

Pensions: Advisory Services

Ian Blackford: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of expanding Pension Wise to include consideration of housing wealth as a source of retirement income.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government is committed to ensuring that individuals are equipped and empowered to make informed decisions about how to use their pension savings through the Pension Wise service.The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) standards for the service state that guidance should provide the consumer with information about long-term care needs, sustainability of income in retirement and life expectancy, to the extent that they are relevant. Pension Wise guidance therefore prompts consumers to think about their retirement objectives and wider financial circumstances when deciding on what to do with their pension pot. As part of this consumers are asked about whether they receive any benefits, other retirement income, outgoings in retirement, and plans to continue working. The guidance is designed to equip consumers to consider questions about their situation as a whole, and directs them to further sources of information as suitable. Where it is clear that consumers need specialist help, they are directed to the appropriate source of guidance and information.Pension Wise is constantly assessing and evaluating the service to ensure that user needs are met. As such, it is currently actively considering a number of developments, as part of our continuous service improvement, to make Pension Wise even more useful to consumers, including tailoring session content more closely to individual circumstances.

Nuisance Calls

Patricia Gibson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Financial Conduct Authority plans to publish a consultation on nuisance calls.

Harriett Baldwin: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has committed to undertake a review on unsolicited marketing by consumer credit firms. This will take place early next year. The FCA intends to consult on any proposals in summer 2016.The FCA requires that when cold calling by phone, the identity of the person and the firm is made clear at the outset, as well as the purpose of the communication, so the consumer can decide whether to proceed.

Granite

Richard Burgon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he took the National Crime Agency investigation into the Project Eagle loan sale by Ireland's National Asset Management Agency to Cerberus into account in decisions on the sale of UK Asset Resolutions' Granite Portfolio to Cerberus.

Harriett Baldwin: Cerberus was selected as the successful bidder for UK Asset Resolution (UKAR)’s Granite portfolio following a thorough due diligence process. Cerberus have confirmed to UKAR that their involvement in the Project Eagle loan sale was conducted with the utmost integrity; and have separately provided a detailed submission to the Northern Ireland Committee on Finance and Personnel, which conducted a full enquiry into the sale.

Granite

Richard Burgon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government has taken to ensure that former Northern Rock mortgage holders will not be disadvantaged by the sale of UK Asset Resolutions' Granite Portfolio to Cerberus.

Harriett Baldwin: A key consideration in the selection of the successful bidder was the continued fair treatment of customers. Cerberus was selected following a thorough due diligence process, and like any buyer, remains subject to the regulatory oversight of the Financial Conduct Authority; including the requirement of Treating Customers Fairly.Day-to-day management of the assets within the Granite portfolio will remain with the mortgage servicing arm of UK Asset Resolution, and there will be no changes to the terms and conditions of the mortgages involved in the transaction.

Granite

Richard Burden: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the book value of the portfolio of mortgages sold by Cerberus to TSB, following the sale of UK Asset Resolution's Granite portfolio, was on 13 November 2015.

Harriett Baldwin: Following their acquisition of the Granite portfolio, Cerberus Capital Management LP announced that they have agreed to sell £3.3bn of the assets to TSB Bank plc.

Granite

Richard Burgon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the book value of the UK Asset Resolution's Granite portfolio was last calculated prior to the sale of Cerberus on 13 November 2015.

Harriett Baldwin: In line with UK Asset Resolution (UKAR)'s reporting cycle, the book value of the Granite portfolio was last calculated at 30 September 2015 as part of the Interim Financial Results process.

Personal Injury

Andy Slaughter: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will consult on proposed changes to personal injury law referred to in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.

Harriett Baldwin: The Ministry of Justice will launch a public consultation in the New Year on the details of the policy.

Department for Work and Pensions

Children: Maintenance

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of cleansing the arrears balances of all existing Child Support Agency cases and establishing those costs on the 2012 statutory scheme.

Priti Patel: The Department is committed to closing the old child maintenance case management system. In the process of doing this the Department will bring cases up to date, correct obvious inaccuracies, and write off arrears where appropriate, for which there will be a temporary cost within the £236m outlined in the impact assessment that the Department published in 2013.The cost of caseworker activity to review and update arrears on the existing systems for the 1.2m CSA cases expected to have an arrears balance is estimated to be £75m. This comprises: bringing all outstanding actions on the case up to date; reviewing the outstanding balance to incorporate those actions and eliminate obvious errors; establish whether the receiving parent wishes to write off any or all of the balance and take write off action if appropriate; and take the control actions to mark the case as closed.Establishing those arrears on the new Child Maintenance system is estimated to cost £25m. This comprises: action to add the arrears to the schedule of amounts due produced by the 2012 system; and ensuring that where more than one receiving parent is due maintenance from the same paying parent, outstanding balances from the 1993 and 2003 schemes are correctly allocated.

Welfare Tax Credits: Universal Credit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the average transitional protection award that will be paid to the claimants who are migrated from tax credits to universal credit.

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the effect on the household income of a family with two earners and three children which becomes a new claimant of universal credit and which is not migrating from a legacy benefit of the Government's proposed changes to universal credit announced in the Summer Budget 2015 in each of the next four financial years.

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the effect on the income of an existing tax credit claimant in (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20 of changes announced to tax credits and the universal credit rollout in the Summer Budget 2015 and the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the effect on the household income of an existing tax credit claimant family with one earner and three children in (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20 of proposed changes to tax credits, assuming they are migrated to universal credit at the start of 2018 and experience a change in circumstance and lose their transitional arrangements.

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the effect on the household income of an existing tax credit claimant in (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20 of proposed changes to tax credits, assuming they are migrated to universal credit at the start of 2018 and experience a change in circumstance and lose their transitional arrangements.

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the effect on the household income of an existing tax credit claimant family with two earners and two children in (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20 of proposed changes to tax credits assuming they are migrated to universal credit at the start of 2018 and experience a change in circumstance and lose their transitional arrangements.

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the effect on the income of an existing tax credit claimant in (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20 of proposed changes to tax credits, assuming they are migrated to universal credit at the start of 2018.

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the effect on the household income of an existing tax credit claimant family with two earners and three children in (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20 of proposed changes to tax credits assuming they are migrated to universal credit at the start of 2018 and experience a change in circumstance and lose their transitional arrangements.

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assumptions his Department has made about the average amount of time for which people migrating from tax credits onto universal credit will have no change in circumstance that means they will lose transitional protection.

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the effect on the household income of an existing tax credit claimant family with one earner and two children in (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20 of proposed changes to tax credits, assuming they are migrated to universal credit at the start of 2018 and experience a change in circumstance and lose their transitional arrangements.

Priti Patel: At the summer budget the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out the Government’s commitment to move the UK from a high tax, high welfare, low wage society to a lower tax, lower welfare, higher wage society. This remains the case, and Universal Credit (UC) is delivering this.UC is a fundamentally different benefit to the legacy benefit system and provides people with support into, and to progress in work.Therefore there is no meaningful way of comparing an unreformed Tax Credit system with Universal Credit. The Government has committed to transitional arrangements as we reform the benefits and Tax Credit system. Those transferred by DWP from tax credits to UC will receive Transitional Protection. In addition, estimates of entitlements under UC of the sort requested will vary depending on assumptions on the level of earnings.

Dupuytren's Contracture

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the report of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council on Dupuytren's contracture due to hand-transmitted vibration, Cm 8860, published in May 2014, when he plans to add that condition to the list of industrial injuries disablement benefit diseases.

Justin Tomlinson: The proposal to add Dupuytren’s Contracture is under consideration and a decision on this will be made in due course.

Fathers

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what policies his Department is implementing to promote active fatherhood; and if he will make it his policy that fathers be required to sign birth certificates.

Priti Patel: Our objective is to support families to create and maintain good quality relationships to sustain a safe, stable and nurturing environment for their children. We believe that fathers play an integral role in family life and that is why the government has worked hard to ensure that families have the support they need. In particular, we have invested approximately £8m for 2015-16 providing services for couples – mothers and fathers - during key transitions and in difficulty. We have ensured that all specifications for new contracts specifically include a requirement for providers to engage fathers and ensure their services are father friendly.We have also introduced the Family Test which ensures that potential impacts on family functioning are carefully considered as part of the policymaking process, including impacts on all members’ ability to play a full role in family life.The legislative provisions to introduce mandatory joint registration remain on the statute and we will continue to consider how joint registration can support fathers’ involvement as part of a wider package of support.

Universal Credit

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2015 to Question 16958, when the process of quality assuring his Department's data on universal credit will be complete; and when he will set out which statistics on universal credit will be published by his Department in the future.

Priti Patel: The Department published a statistics release strategy for Universal Credit in September 2013 (available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-statistics-background-information/universal-credit-statistics-background-information).Official statistics on Universal Credit have been published on a monthly basis since December 2013. The range of statistics published has increased as quality assurance has been carried out. This process will continue on a wider range of breakdowns and Departmental statisticians anticipate being able to start releasing these, in accordance with the relevant protocols in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, during 2016.The Department will review and update the statistics release strategy in 2016.

Social Security Benefits

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people stopped claiming (a) jobseeker's allowance and (b) employment and support allowance in the most recent month for which figures are available; and what proportion of such people ended their claim after moving into work.

Priti Patel: The available information which shows the number of off-flows from the Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) claimant count is published here:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.aspGuidance for users can be found at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.aspThe available information which shows the number of off-flows from Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is published here:http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/flows/flows_off/tabtool.htmlGuidance for users is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidanceIndividuals ending a claim for JSA are not required to inform the Department of their destinations and hence the destination information published on the NOMIS website is incomplete.

Universal Credit: Wythenshawe and Sale East

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what timetable he has set for tax credit claimants in Wythenshawe and Sale East constituency to migrate to universal credit.

Priti Patel: We are rolling out Universal Credit (UC) in a careful and controlled manner – an approach that was endorsed by the Major Projects Authority. UC is now available to single claimants, couples and families in Wythenshawe and Sale East constituency.Our plan is that existing benefit and tax credit claimants will be migrated to UC by 2020/21. Further details will be made available in due course.

State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has conducted research on the potential effect on the (a) rate of emigration and (b) number of pensioner returnees of unfreezing pensions.

Justin Tomlinson: At present DWP has not conducted any research into the behavioural impacts that the unfreezing of pensions may have on individuals’ migration decisions.

Temporary Accommodation: Greater Manchester

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what management fee was paid to each local authority in Greater Manchester for housing tenants in receipt of housing benefit in temporary accommodation in the last financial year for which information is available.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not available.

Disability Living Allowance: Children

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make one of the qualifying criteria for children under three years of age to access the mobility component of the disability living allowance possession of a blue badge by either of a child's parents.

Justin Tomlinson: I refer the honourable lady to the answer provided to her on 2 November (13660).

Universal Credit: Greater Manchester

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in each local authority in the Greater Manchester area have been transferred from tax credits to universal credit.

Priti Patel: The process of transferring people from Tax Credits to Universal Credit (UC) has not yet begun.We are rolling out Universal Credit (UC) in a careful and controlled manner – an approach that was endorsed by the Major Projects Authority. Our plan is that existing benefit and tax credit claimants will be migrated to UC by 2020/21. Further details will be made available in due course.

Maternity Pay

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employers applied to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to have their employees' statutory maternity pay paid in advance in each of the last five financial years; what proportion of those applications were (a) accepted and (b) rejected; and what average time was taken by HMRC to make decisions on those applications.

Priti Patel: DWP data on the amount of National Insurance Contributions claimed by employers to pay for Statutory Maternity Pay comes from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).The information is not available as requested. HMRC do not keep records of the number of claims to advanced funding which are rejected and therefore it is not possible to provide proportions of those (a) accepted and (b) rejected.

Welfare Tax Credits: Universal Credit

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 1.123 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, when he plans to publish further information on transitional protection for universal credit recipients; whether his policy is to guarantee that such protection entails no loss of income for recipients compared to income from tax credits; and whether he plans for such protection to apply to (a) new applicants and (b) people who experience a change in circumstances.

Priti Patel: At the summer budget the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out the Government’s commitment to move the UK from a high tax, high welfare, low wage society to a lower tax, lower welfare, higher wage society. This remains the case, and Universal Credit (UC) is delivering this.UC is a fundamentally different benefit to the legacy benefit system and provides people with support into, and to progress in work.Therefore there is no meaningful way of comparing an unreformed Tax Credit system with Universal Credit. The Government has committed to transitional arrangements as we reform the benefits and Tax Credit system. Those transferred without a change of circumstances by DWP from tax credits to UC will receive Transitional Protection so that their income is not reduced as a result of the transfer.We will bring forward regulations for transitional protection in due course.

Maternity Pay

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what amount of National Insurance contributions (a) FTSE100 companies, (b) businesses qualifying for Small Employer's Relief and (c) other companies claimed from HM Revenue and Customs to pay for statutory maternity pay for their employers for the (i) first six weeks of their employees' leave and (ii) subsequent 33 such weeks.

Priti Patel: DWP data on the amount of National Insurance Contributions claimed by employers to pay for Statutory Maternity Pay comes from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).The information is not available in the exact breakdowns requested as:HMRC do not hold information on the amount of National Insurance contributions claimed for SMP from (a) FTSE100 companies; andDWP are unable to provide an estimate of SMP recoveries by employer size and duration of employees’ leave. This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Personal Independence Payment

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Atos assessments are carried out effectively for personal independence payment applications.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department has a number of mechanisms available to monitor and challenge Atos performance in carrying out assessments for Personal Independence Payment. These include a range of Management Information to inform performance against contractual Service Level Agreements relating to, for example, time taken to process claims and the quality of the assessment reports produced.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2015 to Question 17942, where a claimant's income is insufficient to meet their living costs, how early an advance payment of up to 50 per cent of their universal credit award can be made once an assessment has been made.

Priti Patel: An advance payment of up to 50% of a claimant’s Universal Credit (UC) award can be approved, subject to the eligibility criteria being satisfied, as soon as the claimant attends the initial work search interview. If necessary, payment can be made by direct payment into the claimant’s account on the same day.

Home Office

UK Visas and Immigration: Internet

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what remedy exists for enquirers whose electronic communications with the International Enquiry Service are not answered.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 01 December 2015



The International Enquiry Service currently handles approximately 12,000 emails a week and, from management information received, continues to answer all emails within the published service standards (100% of emails responded to within one working day (24 hours)) . In addition, all email enquiries receive an auto response which states “Your email has been submitted - We have received your email. You will receive a response within one working day.”

Vetting: Waiting Lists

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting time is for an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Karen Bradley: The average time taken to process an enhanced disclosure and barring service check over the last 12 months for which figures are available (November 2014 - October 2015) is 14.92 calendar days.

*No heading*

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to publish the report on overseas domestic worker visas by James Ewins before 17 December 2015.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 03 December 2015



Mr Ewins’s report has been submitted to the Home Office and will be published shortly.

Home Office: Labour Mobility

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many civil servants in her Department are in the redeployment pool.

Karen Bradley: There are 104 staff in the redeployment pool. This data is from the Home Office redeployment database.

Dogs: Smuggling

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase the level of co-ordination with other governmental agencies and departments to prevent the trade of puppies through UK ports.

James Brokenshire: Border Force works with and supports the lead department - the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs - which is responsible for imports of live animals, including puppies. Border Force meets regularly with Defra to exchange ideas and explore opportunities for increased cooperation.

Immigration: Australasia and Canada

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the net contribution to the UK economy made by immigration from Australia, Canada and New Zealand in the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: No assessment of the net contribution to the UK economy made by immigration from Australia, Canada and New Zealand has been made.

Migration: Calais

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps the Government has taken to resolve the migration situation at Calais.

Mrs Theresa May: The UK Government recognises the exceptional pressures on the French Government and its citizens caused by the migrant situation in the Calais region.In particular, the French police face a difficult challenge in dealing with the increasingly violent migrants, who are damaging property and vehicles and attacking officers around the juxtaposed ports in their attempts to reach the UK illegally.The UK welcomes the continued efforts by the French Government to address the situation, in particular the significant commitment of additional French police officers deployed in Calais.We also welcome the progress made by the French to move migrants away from Calais to suitable facilities in alternative sites in France, and to increase the number of migrants claiming asylum in the country.These French efforts, combined with the additional British personnel at the ports, the priority fencing and enhancements to security infrastructure, and the work to tackle organised crime that our two countries have progressed jointly over recent months, sends a clear message: we will continue to work together to keep our borders secure; migrants should not head to Calais, and those in Calais intending to seek asylum should do so in France.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition: Crime

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) stolen cars, (b) untaxed cars, (c) uninsured drivers and (d) other crimes have been detected using automatic number plate recognition in each of the last two years.

Mike Penning: This information is not held by the Home Office. Some police forces may collate this data, dependent upon local policy.

Refugees: Syria

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether adult children will be included in the vulnerable persons relocation scheme along with their younger siblings and parents.

Richard Harrington: We work closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to identify cases that they deem in need of resettlement according to agreed vulnerability criteria for the Syrian Resettlement Scheme. This can include families where adult children form part of the family unit where the UNHCR deem resettlement is appropriate for the entire family group.

Undocumented Migrants: Private Rented Housing

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what protections she plans to put in place for landlords who, unwittingly and after carrying out reasonable checks, allow an illegal immigrant to rent their property.

James Brokenshire: The Immigration Act 2014 prohibits landlords from leasing property to persons who are disqualified from renting by reason of their immigration status. Right to rent checks are simple to conduct and comprise of an examination of documents from a range prescribed in law as acceptable for the purposes of establishing a right to rent. Landlords are not expected to be immigration or forgery experts and the Act provides defences in law for the landlord who may have accepted a falsified document in good faith and having acted reasonably.

Home Office: Welsh Language

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of the forms on her Department's website is available in Welsh.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Drugs: Advisory Services

Mims Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the drugs advice provided by FRANK in tackling use of illegal drugs.

Mike Penning: FRANK, the Government’s drugs information and advice service, is run by Public Health England. It provides impartial, reliable and confidential information and advice about drugs. It can be used in both specific drug prevention activities and in general health and wellbeing activities which are designed to help individuals to build and develop the skills they need to be able to actively choose not to use drugs.The last assessment of the website was run by the Home Office through the website user survey between 20 February – 11 March 2013. Key findings included:• 85% said they are very/fairly likely to visit the FRANK website in the future if needed• in total, 69% claimed that their visit to the FRANK website had a positive effect on their attitudes and/or behaviours in at least one wayFRANK continues to be updated to reflect new and emerging patterns of drug use, remain in line with young people’s media habits and strengthen situational advice and support. FRANK is just one part of our approach to reducing the demand for drugs. For example, Public Health England has launched a new online resilience building resource, ‘Rise Above’, aimed at 11- to 16-year-olds, which provides tools to help develop skills to make positive choices for their health, including avoiding drug use.

Vetting: Waiting Lists

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time was for a Disclosure and Barring Service check at (a) standard, (b) enhanced and (c) enhanced with list checks level to be conducted in each year since 2010.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the cost of Disclosure and Barring Service checks.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 08 December 2015



The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is funded through fees charged for disclosure certificates and from subscriptions to the DBS disclosure update service. DBS operates on a full cost recovery basis. There has not been a fee increase in four years and volunteers receive free checks.The table below sets out the average time taken to process all three types of checks.TimeframeStandard DisclosuresEnhanced Disclosures Enhanced Disclosures with List Checks01st Nov 2010 to 31st Oct 20115.2116.8416.8101st Nov 2011 to 31st Oct 20125.3411.2411.2501st Nov 2012 to 31st Oct 20134.5710.6010.6301st Nov 2013 to 31st Oct 20146.3714.1214.1701st Nov 2014 to 31st Oct 20155.9714.9214.94The fluctuations in processing times over the years relate to a number of factors, including changes in demand and demand forecasting, changes to IT systems and the performance of police forces for enhanced disclosures.

Human Trafficking: Children

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to lay before Parliament a report on the steps the Government proposes to take in relation to independent child trafficking advocates, pursuant to section 48(7) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 08 December 2015



Section 48(7) of the Modern Slavery Act requires the Government to lay before Parliament a report setting out the steps it proposes to take in relation to independent child trafficking advocates within nine months of Royal Assent of the Modern Slavery Act. The Government will publish this report by 16 December, whilst Parliament is sitting.

Passports

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will issue a response to Early Day Motion 676, British Women and the New British Passport.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Northern Ireland Office

UK Membership of EU

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with (a) the NI Executive, (b) business leaders, (c) third sector representatives on the potential effects of the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation: it believes it can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU and campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis.I meet regularly with NI Executive Ministers, business leaders and third sector representatives to discuss a range of issues and will continue to do so.

EU Grants and Loans: Northern Ireland

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate she has made of the amount of EU funds spent in Northern Ireland in each year since 2010.

Mr Ben Wallace: Regional allocations of EU funding are set over seven-year periods, for example, the previous period ran from 2007-2013.The information requested can be found in the financing plans for the respective programmes funded by the EU. Some information on these can be found at:www.dfpni.gov.uk/articles/european-structural-and-investment-fund-programmes-northern-ireland and www.dardni.gov.uk.

Northern Ireland Office: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, on how many occasions a special adviser in her Department accompanied a Minister on an overseas trip since May 2015.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: My Special Adviser has accompanied me on four overseas visits since May 2015; three official visits to Dublin and one official visit to the USA.

Marriage: Northern Ireland

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the legal recognition in Northern Ireland of same-sex marriages which have been registered elsewhere in the UK.

Mr Ben Wallace: Northern Ireland Office Ministers have had no discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the legal recognition in Northern Ireland of same-sex marriages which have been registered elsewhere in the UK. This is a transferred matter and is therefore the responsibility of Northern Ireland Executive Ministers.

Department of Health

Cervical Cancer: Screening

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the survey published in November 2015 by Cancer Research UK which found that only 19 per cent of women aged from 50 to 64 were aware that the main purpose of the national cervical screening programme is to prevent cervical cancer.

Jane Ellison: NHS Screening Programmes are committed to giving people information to support them to make an informed choice about whether or not to take up the offer of screening. There is a group dedicated to researching, developing and evaluating information for those invited for screening, and service users and providers are involved at all stages.The NHS Screening Programmes aim to provide clarity in the leaflets and information given to people.The NHS Screening Programmes will continue to work closely with voluntary sector groups like Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust and with NHS Choices to help raise awareness of the intentions of the programmes.

Dementia

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to local government funding on the delivery of the National Dementia Strategy.

Jane Ellison: On 21 February 2015, the Prime Minister launched his new Challenge on Dementia 2020, which builds on the achievements of the Prime Minister’s challenge on dementia 2012-2015. It sets out the vision for dementia care, support, awareness and research to be transformed by 2020.Local authorities as well as clinical commissioning groups are responsible for funding and commissioning services based on their local population's needs and ensuring that the services they secure provide the best quality for local people.As part of the Spending Review, the Government announced that councils will be able to introduce a new social care precept. The social care precept gives local authorities that are facing significant pressures the freedom to raise council tax to help mitigate against these pressures. It puts money raising powers into the hands of local areas who best understand the need in their area and who are best placed to respond.Further, the Spending Review set out the Government’s commitment to fund a Dementia Research Institute.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much PCTs are owed by foreign patients for medical treatment received from the NHS.

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much West Yorkshire PCTs are owed by foreign patients for medical treatment from the NHS.

Alistair Burt: Under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, primary care trusts (PCTs) ceased to exist from 1 April 2013, being replaced by clinical commissioning groups.The Department does not hold information centrally on the amounts owed to clinical commissioning groups by foreign patients for National Health Service medical treatment received.

Influenza: Vaccination

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on potential links between statins and inhibition of the influenza vaccine.

Jane Ellison: We are aware of two recent studies published in the Journal of Infectious Disease which suggest that the effectiveness of influenza vaccination in people taking statins may be reduced. As suggested by the authors of both studies, there are limitations in the data and design of these studies which do not allow any firm conclusions to be drawn. Other research has suggested that statin use decreases the risk of severe outcomes from influenza.Influenza vaccines are important in reducing the complications of influenza, and statins are important medicines in patients with lipid disorders and in the prevention of heart attack and stroke. As stated in an editorial accompanying the publications, the findings of these studies do not affect current recommendations for use of influenza vaccines or the prescribing of statins.

Sleep Apnoea

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were diagnosed with sleep apnoea in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The full figures are not held in the format requested. However, the attached table gives a count of finished hospital admission episodes in England with a primary diagnosis of sleep apnoea, for the years 2010-11 to 2014-15.



Count of FAEs- Sleep Apnoea 2010-15
(Excel SpreadSheet, 24.37 KB)

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what medication is available on the NHS for chronic fatigue syndrome.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome in the last year.

Jane Ellison: No assessment has been made of the number of people who have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in the last year.In 2007 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) produced the clinical guidance Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy): Diagnosis and management of CFS/ME in adults and children, which estimates that the annual prevalence is approximately 4,000 cases per million of the population.There is no medication available to specifically treat CFS, however the NICE guidance recommends that pharmacological pain relief may be appropriate for the relief of chronic pain that the condition can cause. Other methods of treatment that may be of benefit are cognitive behavioural therapy, graded exercise therapy or activity management. The guidance can be found at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg53

Sexually Transmitted Infections: Older People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce the rate of transmission of sexually transmitted infections among (a) men and (b) women over 50.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) men and (b) women over 50 were diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection in the last year.

Jane Ellison: The Government’s Framework for Sexual Health Improvement (2013) set out the ambition for improving sexual health and wellbeing of the population including continuing to reduce the rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Since 2013, local authorities have been mandated to provide genitourinary medicine (GUM) and integrated services for the early diagnosis and treatment of STIs; these services are open-access with no upper age limit. STI prevention programmes are the responsibility of local authorities, and there are a wide variety of local initiatives underway across England. Public Health England commissions a number of national HIV prevention activities and specialised sexual health information resources to provide educational and health resources to reduce the incidence of STIs including HIV in all age groups.In 2014, there were 11,126 cases of new STIs including HIV in men aged over 50, and 4,103 cases of STIs including HIV in women aged over 50 years of age.

Vaccination: Babies

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether NHS England is responsible for implementation of (a) the option in the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation guidance, Immunisation against infectious disease, that allows clinicians to use their clinical judgement where patient circumstances strongly suggest that prophylaxis with palivizumab would prevent serious respiratory syncytial virus infection in infants who are at a particular risk of complications and (b) other options in that guidance.

Jane Ellison: NHS England has responsibility under the Section 7A Agreement to commission specific NHS Public Health programmes on behalf of Secretary of State. This responsibility includes implementation of the service specification for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) which includes both options described in the question.RSV is a common cause of respiratory tract infections. It usually causes a mild self-limiting respiratory infection in adults and children, but it can be severe in infants who are at increased risk of acute lower respiratory tract infection.There is no licensed vaccine available for RSV. Preventative treatment for RSV is available by passive immunisation with protective antibodies to protect at risk infants.

Anorexia

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) men and (b) women were diagnosed with anorexia in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: The numbers of Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) with a primary diagnosis of anorexia by gender for each year from 2010-11 to 2014-15 are in the table.Finished Admission EpisodesYearFemaleMaleUnknown/Other2010-111,342103-2011-121,53011612012-131,677125-2013-142,119104-2014-152,129119- Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information CentreNote:An FAE is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.

Arthritis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis in each of the last five years.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of treating osteoarthritis in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: Information concerning the number of people diagnosed with osteoarthritis on an annual basis is not collected and the Department has made no specific estimate of the cost of osteoarthritis to the NHS. Although some relevant costing data are captured, such as those relating to hip fracture, total costs are not available, as additional costs are incurred out of hospital and in other services where data are not available.

Eyesight: Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what medication is available on the NHS to treat (a) diabetes blindness, (b) diabetic retinopathy and (c) macular disease.

Alistair Burt: Blindness is a rare complication of uncontrolled diabetes. For people with diabetes, the best way to protect their eyesight is to keep blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible and ensure that other associated risk factors such as high blood pressure is treated to minimise the risk of eye complications. There is also a diabetic retinopathy screening programme which is available annually to all people with diabetes aged 12 and over.Advanced diabetic retinopathy and macular disease may be treated with laser treatment or injections of medicine into the eye.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued technology appraisal guidance recommending a number of different medicines for use in the treatment of these conditions. Further information is available at:http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/conditions-and-diseases/eye-conditionsNHS commissioners are legally required to fund drugs and treatments recommended by NICE technology appraisal guidance.In addition, clinicians can prescribe any treatment which they consider to be the best available medicine to meet the individual clinical needs of their patient, subject to clinical commissioning groups, who are responsible for the commissioning of ophthalmic services in secondary care, agreeing to fund the treatment.

Prostate Cancer: Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that funding is made available to treat prostate cancer with olaparib.

George Freeman: Olaparib (Lynparza) is not licensed for use in the treatment of prostate cancer. It is currently undergoing Phase II clinical trials for this condition.

Hepatitis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the spread of hepatitis C.

Jane Ellison: The Department recognises the public health importance of hepatitis C in the United Kingdom. Following a Tuberculosis/Hepatitis C summit held in London in March, Public Health England (PHE) has a comprehensive range of measures in place to tackle the spread of hepatitis C through surveillance, research, advocacy and commissioning-support activities. PHE is working with local authorities on action plans and work programmes to drive improvements in the prevention, awareness raising, diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C across the UK at a local level.These activities are undertaken by PHE’s local and national teams and in collaboration with NHS England and third sector partners. The Department works with NHS England to identify the most appropriate way to commission services, to ensure that the right cohorts of patients are able to access treatment when they need it. Particularly in the patients with liver disease from hepatitis C, access to care has specific challenges, and commissioning services will aim to reduce any inequities.

Cancer: Drugs

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the reasons for removing treatment options for (a) multiple myeloma and (b) other rare cancers from the Cancer Drugs Fund.

George Freeman: No such assessment has been made. NHS England is responsible for the operational management of the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) and decisions on which treatments are included on the national CDF list are made by the CDF expert clinical panel, which includes expert oncologists, oncology pharmacists and patient representatives.

Myeloma: Drugs

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of removing treatments for multiple myeloma from the Cancer Drugs Fund on investment in clinical trials for that condition in the UK.

George Freeman: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 September 2015 to Question 10093.

Arthritis: Employment

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect of inflammatory arthritis on an individual's ability to stay in work.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support his Department provides to people with inflammatory arthritis to help them to stay in work.

Jane Ellison: We are aware that a high proportion of people with inflammatory arthritis are of working age. Inflammatory arthritis is a major cause of sickness absence.Treatment for inflammatory arthritis has improved dramatically with the development of new drugs. It is essential for people with relevant symptoms to present early to their general practitioner and for the condition to be diagnosed promptly. Ensuring that people have access to the best possible treatment and support provides the greatest scope to enable people with inflammatory arthritis to stay in work.The newly formed Work and Health Unit is a joint endeavour between Department of Health and Department for Work and Pensions. The Unit has been established to lead the drive for improving work and health outcomes for people with health conditions and disabilities, as well as improving prevention and support for people absent from work through ill health and those at risk of leaving the workforce.In the Spending Review the Government has provided at least £115 million of funding for the Unit including a Work and Health Innovation Fund.

Hospitals: Standards

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the new Care Quality Commission inspection regime on hospital performance; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. The CQC monitors, inspects and regulates services against fundamental standards of quality and safety below which care should never fall.The CQC’s new inspection regime provides a comprehensive assessment of hospitals performance. During an inspection, the CQC asks five questions of every service and provider; are they safe, effective, caring, well led and responsive to people’s needs. Following an inspection the CQC rates a provider on a four point scale running from outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate. In addition to an aggregate rating at a provider level, the CQC produces ratings for individual services and locations. This gives patients and the public a fair, balanced and easy to understand assessment of performance of a provider.Where a provider is rated as inadequate the Chief Inspector of Hospitals can recommend that the trust be placed into special measures. This means that trusts receive a tailored package of support to enable them to improve.As of 8 December there are 15 trusts in special measures. Eleven trusts have made sufficient progress to exit special measures, the most recent being the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust on 4 December.On 15 October 2015, the CQC published its State of Care Report 2014-15 and reported:* 83%1 of all providers agree that the new inspections helped them to monitor the quality of care they provide;* 73%1 of all providers said that a CQC inspection had helped to identify areas of improvement and 72% said that the inspection reports were useful; and* 68%1 of all providers said that they thought that outcomes for people who use services were improved as result of CQC inspection activity.1 The information provided in the State of Care report is for all registered providers not just Hospitals.

Respiratory System: Diseases

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 2015 to Question 14029, for what reasons his Department allows the use of individual funding requests for palivizuamb without an assessment of the suitability of those requests for preventative treatments.

George Freeman: NHS England has advised that only patients who meet the criteria listed in the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s guidance, Immunisation against infectious disease, will be eligible for routine funding for palivizumab. Where a patient does not meet these criteria, and a clinician feels that a patient is clinically exceptional, an application should be made through the normal regional individual funding request process. A letter and specialised services circular (SSC1535) has been sent to all providers and commissioners explaining the commissioning arrangements for palivizumab for the 2015 vaccination season. This is available at:www.bnssgformulary.nhs.uk/includes/documents/SSC1535%20Commissioning%20of%20Palivizumab%20for%20the%202015%20Vaccination%20Season.pdf

Department of Health: Labour Mobility

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many civil servants in his Department are in the redeployment pool.

Jane Ellison: The Department does not currently have a redeployment pool.

Junior Doctors: Industrial Disputes

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the oral statement of 30 November 2015, Official Report, column 33, what estimate he has made of the number of operations that were cancelled prior to the proposed industrial action on 1 December 2015 but could not be rebooked for 1 December 2015 once that proposed industrial action was postponed.

Ben Gummer: On 30 November, based on information provided by hospital trusts, NHS England estimated that around 3,000 procedures that were due to take place on 1 December 2015 were planned to be rescheduled. It has not collected information or estimated how many of these could not be rebooked for 1 December 2015 once the proposed industrial action was suspended. There has been no estimate of how many vital procedures that were cancelled were rescheduled within 24 hours. These are operational matters for hospital trusts.

Veterinary Medicine: Antibiotics

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will raise the issue of withdrawal of marketing authorisations for veterinary use of colistin at the next EU Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council on 7 December 2015.

Jane Ellison: The withdrawal of marketing authorisations for veterinary use of colistin was not raised at the EU Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council on 7 December 2015.The Public Health Minister has regularly discussed antimicrobial resistance (AMR) with her international colleagues and attended a meeting on AMR hosted by the Netherlands in advance of their forthcoming Presidency where the Minister raised the importance of a ‘One Health’ approach to AMR including the need for the appropriate use of antibiotics in both humans and animals.The five year UK Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy, published in 2013 takes a ‘One Health’ approach.Minimising the unnecessary and inappropriate use of antibiotics reduces the selective pressure that favours the emergence and spread of resistant bacteria and is an essential component of strategies to safeguard antibiotics critical for treatment of serious human infections.PHE is working closely with Defra, Department of Health, the Animal and Plant Health Agency, Food Standards Agency and Veterinary Medicines Directorate to ensure the latest evidence on colistin resistance is considered.AMR is a global problem that needs concerted action at both a national and global level.

Multiple Sclerosis

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what arrangements his Department plans to put in place for new patients who wish to access drugs included in the Risk Sharing Scheme for the supply of disease modifying treatments for multiple sclerosis, glatiramer acetate and beta interferon after funding for that scheme ceases.

George Freeman: Colleagues are in discussion with NHS England colleagues to plan for a smooth transition from the end of the Scheme in England, and with colleagues in the Devolved Administrations in respect of Multiple Sclerosis services in their countries.

Continuing Care

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether a person applying for NHS Continuing Healthcare support who is judged to be terminally ill and thus entitled to a 48-hour needs assessment by their clinical commissioning group (CCG) is able to claim the costs of any treatment over the 48-hour limit if the CCG does not make an assessment in time.

Alistair Burt: The NHS Continuing Healthcare (NHS CHC) Fast Track Pathway Tool is used when the individual has a rapidly deteriorating condition and the condition may be entering a terminal phase. The National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care (November 2012 revised) sets out that on receipt of the Fast Track documentation, the clinical commissioning group (CCG) should arrange for the care package to be commissioned without delay.A person only becomes eligible for NHS CHC once a decision on eligibility has been made by a CCG, informed either by a completed Decision Support Tool or Fast Track Pathway Tool. Prior to that decision being made, any existing arrangements for the provision and funding of care should continue, unless there is an urgent need for adjustment.

Multiple Sclerosis

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when his Department plans to publish the year 10 data for the Risk Sharing Scheme for the supply of disease modifying treatments for multiple sclerosis.

George Freeman: The Government expects the conclusions from the year 10 results of the Multiple Sclerosis Risk Sharing Scheme to be published in a recognised academic journal in late 2016.

Junior Doctors: Industrial Disputes

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether hospitals will incur financial penalties if they breach performance standards as a result of the suspended industrial action on 1 December 2015.

Ben Gummer: In the normal course of events, a hospital which misses a key national standard (such as the 18-week referral to treatment waiting time standard or the six-week diagnostic wait standard) will incur a mandatory financial sanction applied by its commissioners, as set out in the NHS Standard Contract.However, the Contract also includes a ‘Force Majeure’ clause (General Condition 28) which would, in principle, apply to planned industrial action. Under this clause, a provider is able to claim relief from its liabilities under the Contract, to the extent that an event outside of its reasonable control has directly caused it to fail to meet its contractual obligations.Therefore, if a hospital were to breach an operational standard for the month, but could demonstrate to the commissioner that:* this was solely and directly due to the action it had reasonably taken in anticipation of the industrial action proceeding; and* it had done everything reasonable to mitigate the impact of its actions on achievement of the standard in that monththen the commissioner could set aside the sanction for that month.If the breach of the standard was only partly due to the impact of the planned industrial action, only the relevant proportion of the sanction would be set aside.

Junior Doctors: Industrial Disputes

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to guarantee that all patients who had their operations cancelled as a result of the proposed industrial action by junior doctors will be offered another date for their operation within the next 28 days.

Ben Gummer: The NHS is making every effort to rearrange treatment for people whose operations were cancelled as quickly as possible.We recognise that cancellations by the hospital are upsetting and inconvenient for patients, which is why there is a pledge on cancelled operations in the Handbook on the NHS Constitution. When a patient’s operation is cancelled by the hospital at the last minute (on or after the day of admission, including the day of surgery) for non-clinical reasons, the hospital should offer another binding date within a maximum of the next 28 days or fund the patient’s treatment at the time and hospital of the patient’s choice.For operations that were cancelled before the day of admission, the pledge does not apply. However, the NHS Constitution includes the right “to access services within maximum waiting times, or for the NHS to take all reasonable steps to offer you a range of alternative providers if this is not possible”. Patients have the right to start consultant-led treatment within a maximum of 18 weeks from referral for non-urgent conditions. If this is not possible, and where patients request it, the organisation responsible for commissioning the patient’s care must investigate offering a range of suitable alternative providers that would be able to see or treat the patient more quickly than the original provider. The commissioning organisation must take all reasonable steps to meet patients’ requests.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his oral contribution of 30 November 2015, Official Report, column 33, on the estimated number of patients who may have had a vital operation cancelled, how many patients who had such an operation cancelled had it rescheduled to a time within 24 hours of the original scheduled operation.

Ben Gummer: On 30 November, based on information provided by hospital trusts, NHS England estimated that around 3,000 procedures that were due to take place on 1 December 2015 were planned to be rescheduled. It has not collected information or estimated how many of these could not be rebooked for 1 December 2015 once the proposed industrial action was suspended. There has been no estimate of how many vital procedures that were cancelled were rescheduled within 24 hours. These are operational matters for hospital trusts.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

New Businesses: Government Assistance

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what (a) information, (b) financial support and (c) other support his Department provides to employed people looking to set up their own business.

Anna Soubry: We are helping everyone, including employed people, who want to set up and start their own business. The Business Support Helpline and the Business Finance and Support Finder tool on the GOV.UK website help people get simple straight forward advice and start up finance. At a local level we are investing in 39 Growth Hubs around the country which join up local business support to make it easier for people who want to find advice and information on how to start a business. The Start-Up Loans programme has also provided over 33,500 loans worth over £180 million pounds to people who want to start their own business.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Welsh Language

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of the forms on (a) his Department's website and (b) the website of UK Trade and Investment is available in Welsh.

Joseph Johnson: The Government is fully committed to the Welsh language and fully committed to providing Government services in the Welsh language where there is demand.The Wales Office works closely with Government Digital Service to ensure that the Welsh language content on GOV.UK is underpinned by high quality user research that provides a simpler, clearer and faster service for users.On GOV.UK you can carry out many actions in Welsh that are important to people in their day to day life, such as apply for car tax, register to vote, book driving theory and practical tests, access state pension details online and apply for a Blue Badge.It also gives government departments and other organisations which publish material on GOV.UK the ability to publish Welsh-language content in line with the requirements of their individual Welsh Language Schemes.The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has published 346 forms on GOV.UK as part of an application process or to respond to consultations. However, not all of these will cover departmental policies and schemes that are applicable to Wales. Approximately 4% of the forms are available in Welsh.In the case of UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), as trade and investment is devolved to Wales, Welsh language support for business is available at the Welsh Government’s website at https://business.wales.gov.uk/cyUKTI has aimed to be inclusive by advertising in Welsh as part of its Exporting is GREAT campaign. Though none of UKTI’s forms are in Welsh, contact forms from organisations with a Welsh postcode are directed to Business Wales. Contact forms for investors are not in Welsh but the audience is overseas businesses based outside the UK.

Mature Students: Loans

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether people over the initial postgraduate loan age cap of 30 will be able to apply and receive a postgraduate loan of up to £10,000 for the 2016-17 academic year.

Joseph Johnson: The Government is committed to enhancing its support for postgraduate study and wants more people to have the opportunity to build on their academic success through access to a higher level qualification.The new Postgraduate Loans for Master’s study are intended to be available for eligible students studying in academic year 2016/17.The Government announced on 25 November that the new Postgraduate Loan for Master’s study will be available to individuals up to age 60. Further information is available via the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/postgraduate-study-student-loans-and-other-support

Ministry of Defence

Military Aircraft: Procurement

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, published in November 2015, what assessment he has made of the opportunities available to British industry to participate in the maritime patrol aircraft programme.

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, published in November 2015, what steps his Department is taking to inform British industry of the opportunities available to participate in the maritime patrol aircraft programme.

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 32 of the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, published in November 2015, whether a clause will be included in the P-8 maritime patrol aircraft contract requiring Boeing to utilise technological capabilities delivered by British industry.

Mr Philip Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Garston and Halewood (Maria Eagle) on 3 December 2015 to question 17838.



17838 - QnA extract on Military Aircraft
(Word Document, 14.41 KB)

Aircraft Carriers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, from where the Royal Navy will attain the remaining personnel necessary to crew the two new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Royal Navy has attracted significant investment as a result of the Strategic Defence and Security Review, including an increase in personnel to 30,600 by 2025. This level of investment continues to ensure delivery of Continuous Carrier Capability from both Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers.

Ministry of Defence: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions a special adviser in his Department accompanied a Minister on an overseas trip since May 2015.

Michael Fallon: On nine occasions.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Planning Permission

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the planning protection for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to provide additional practice guidance on applying planning policy and legislation in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

James Wharton: The National Planning Policy Framework provides strong protection for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is for decision makers to apply that policy and related legislation. The local planning authorities have responsibility for determining planning applications and developing local plan policies in the first instance.The strong protection for these valued areas is supported by planning guidance. We keep this guidance under review to ensure it reflects up-to-date planning policy.

Communities and Local Government: Domestic Visits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which faith-based organisations ministers of his Department have visited since June 2015.

Mr Marcus Jones: Ministers in DCLG regularly visit faith-based organisations and a list of meetings with external stakeholders is published quarterly at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dclg-ministerial-data

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service: Standards

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average response time to dwelling fires was for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service in 2013-14.

Greg Clark: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service: Standards

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average response time to dwelling fires was for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service in 2013-14.

Greg Clark: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cheshire Fire Service: Standards

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average response time to dwelling fires was for Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service in 2013-14.

Greg Clark: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cumbria Fire Service: Standards

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average response time to dwelling fires was for Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service in 2013-14.

Greg Clark: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service: Standards

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average response time to dwelling fires was for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service in 2013-14.

Greg Clark: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Aerials: Planning Permission

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish the outcome of his call for evidence on extending permitted development rights to taller mobile telephone masts.

Brandon Lewis: The outcome of the review of how the planning system in England can support the delivery of mobile connectivity will be announced in due course.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Living Wage

Richard  Arkless: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether staff working in his Department that were employed through an agency earned the London Living Wage or more in each of the last two years.

David Mundell: All London based staff employed by the Scotland Office through an agency earned more than the London Living Wage in each of the last two years.

North East: Scotland

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, with reference to paragraph 39 (e) on page 12 of the North East Devolution Agreement, what discussions he has had with the First Minister of Scotland on Government support for joint initiatives between the North East and Scotland.

David Mundell: The UK Government supports opportunities for joint initiatives between the North East and Scotland. The Borderlands Initiative is a cross-border project which brings together the five local authorities of Dumfries and Galloway, Scottish Borders, Carlisle City Council, Cumbria Council and Northumberland. It aims to promote economic growth and competitiveness across the Borderlands and is jointly supported by the UK and Scottish Government.

Scotland Office: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, on how many occasions a special adviser in his Department accompanied a Minister on an overseas trip since May 2015.

David Mundell: I have not been accompanied by a Special Adviser on an overseas trip since May 2015.

Infrastructure: Scotland

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps his Department has taken to promote use of the UK Guarantees Scheme in Scotland.

David Mundell: The HM Treasury Infrastructure support Guarantee scheme has been available for nearly three years and is well understood in the market by key infrastructure players.A range of projects have already been supported in Scotland, including Ineos Petrochemicals in Grangemouth and a Biomass project in Speyside with others currently participating in the process. Those interested in the scheme should contact IUKfinance@hmtreasury.gsi.gov.uk.

Women and Equalities

Pregnant Women: Discrimination

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what her policy is on extending the time in which women may take a pregnancy and maternity discrimination case against their employers to a tribunal from three to 12 months.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government awaits the final report on pregnancy and maternity discrimination and will carefully consider any recommendations from the Equality and Human Rights Commission before deciding on next steps.

Department for Transport

Bus Services: Tyne and Wear

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2015 to Question 15582, whether he has commissioned legal advice on the findings of the Quality Contract Scheme Board and the consequences for buses.

Andrew Jones: The Quality Contract Scheme Board’s report concerns a proposal under existing legislation. The Department has considered the report internally but has not sought any external legal advice on the findings of the Quality Contract Scheme Board.

Cycling: Per Capita Costs

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the spending per head on cycling will be in England (a) outside London and (b) outside London and the eight Cycling City Ambition Grant holder areas in each of the next five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The current cycling ambition programme is fully committed and runs until 2017/18. Spend per head is currently over £10 in the eight cycling ambition cities, and in London (in line with the recommendations of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cycling). It is not possible to predict the geographical distribution of other funding for cycling at this stage.

Drivers: Qualifications

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many bus and coach drivers were fined for their failure to carry a Driver Qualification Card in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

Andrew Jones: Currently, as part of roadside encounters the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) require drivers of Passenger Service Vehicles (PSV) to produce a driver qualification card (DQC). If a driver fails to produce their DQC they will generally be issued with a fixed penalty of £50, this must be paid within 28 days (for drivers with a satisfactory UK address). The driver can, however, choose not to pay the penalty and take the matter to the Magistrate’s court. Also if a driver fails to pay the fixed penalty within the 28 days they will be summons to appear before the Magistrates.For the period of 1 April 2013 – 31 March 2014, 99 offences for Driver Continued Professional Competence (CPC) were recorded at the roadside. Of those, 68 resulted in a fixed penalty being issued, totalling £3,300 in fines. The fixed penalties were issued because the driver failed to produce evidence of training or exemption by not carrying their DQC.For the period of 1 April 2014 – 31 March 2015, 166 offences for Driver CPC were recorded at the roadside. Of those, 119 resulted in a fixed penalty being issued, totalling £5,950 in fines. Again, the fixed penalties were issued for failure to produce their DQC which provides evidence of their training or any exemptions.

Electric Vehicles and Roads: Investment

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the value for money of public investment in (a) roads and (b) electric vehicles in comparison with investment in cycling and walking.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Roads are fundamental for the nation’s economic success. The roads investment strategy will ensure that success by providing the transport infrastructure to keep the population connected and the economy flowing. The Department for Transport has carried out analysis of the Roads Investment Strategy and this shows it to be very high value for money. The analysis is published at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/411417/ris-economic-analysis.pdfInvestment in the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) programme has also been assessed in line with the Department for Transport’s appraisal guidance and is expected to deliver very high value for money.The Department for Transport has also looked at the value for money of a number of recent cycling and walking interventions and found them to offer high or very high value for money. The analysis is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycling-and-walking-the-economic-case-for-action It is worth noting that investment in roads does not just benefit motorists but can also have benefits for cyclists. For example, the Roads Investment Strategy includes a ring-fenced fund of £100mn to 2020/21 to improve provision for cyclists travelling alongside and crossing the strategic road network. Highways England has also committed to cycle-proof all new road investments. We are also providing nearly £6bn funding for local highways road maintenance over the 6-year period to 2020/21, which will help to tackle potholes and improve local roads.

Cycling: Finance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will identify which government-funded cycling programmes will (a) continue to be funded, (b) cease to be funded and (c) have their funding reduced in each of the next five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The DfT is funding a number of cycling programmes as below:the Cycling Ambition City programme until 2017/18; any further investment is subject to future spending decisions;the Highways England cycling programme until 2020-21;the DfT is funding Bikeability until 2019-20;the Local Growth Fund, which includes funding for cycling schemes, is being funded until 2020-21.the new Access fund, which will build on the legacy of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, will be funded until 2019-20.The Cycle / Rail programme will run until the end of 2015/16.

Airports: North of England

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to create additional airport capacity in the north of England.

Mr Robert Goodwill: It is for individual airports to put forward proposals for capacity expansion, taking careful account of all relevant considerations, particularly economic and environmental impacts. We therefore welcome the investment airports in the north of England are already making to increase capacity and improve terminals and passenger facilities.

Calder Valley Railway Line

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many train services on the Calder Valley rail line have been cancelled as a result of train reliability issues in the last 12 months.

Claire Perry: The Department for Transport does not usually hold information at this level of detail. However, the operator has on this occasion informed us that from mid-October to the beginning of December, 17 trains during the morning and evening peaks were cancelled as a result of train reliability issues on the Calder Valley rail line.As one of the signatories to the Northern Franchise Agreement, West Yorkshire Combined Authority – who are responsible for specifying and sponsoring local rail services in West Yorkshire - may be able to supply the information requested to the level of detail you require. They can be contacted at West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Wellington House, 40-50 Wellington Street, Leeds LS1 2DE; by phone: 0113 251 7272 or email at enquiries@westyorks-ca.gov.uk.

London Airports

Mr Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his timetable is for reaching a decision on plans to increase airport capacity in the South East.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government is currently considering the large amount of very detailed analysis contained in the Airports Commission’s final report before taking any decisions on next steps. A decision on airport capacity will be made in due course.

Cycling and Walking: Finance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he plans for the £300 million allocated for cycling in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 to be the sole source of funding for the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy; and how much of that allocation he plans to spend on cycling.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy will be published by summer 2016, with a statement of funds available beforehand.

State Retirement Pensions

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will establish an independent inquiry to consider the costs and benefits of frozen pensions.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Any independent inquiry to consider the costs and benefits of frozen pensions for the Civil Service Pension Scheme will be a matter for the Cabinet Office.

Motor Vehicles: Safety

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had on the steps necessary to ensure driverless cars are safe before they are permitted on the road.

Andrew Jones: Officials in the Department for Transport, the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills and the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles are engaging on this issue at a national and international level. In July 2015 the Department for Transport published a Code of Practice for driverless cars to help make the UK the best place for testing without placing additional regulatory burden on industry and ensuring safety and security.

Bus Services: Franchises

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2015 to Question 15582, if he will define bus franchising in relation to the North East Devolution Deal and how it differs from a Quality Contact Scheme.

Andrew Jones: The Buses Bill will provide the powers for local transport authorities to franchise their local bus services subject to agreement from Government. It will allow local transport authorities to replace the current deregulated bus market with a system of contracting, whereby the authority specifies the services or outcomes they are looking to achieve and bus companies bid to provide those services.The final content of the Bill is still being developed, but the process through which the franchising powers are exercised is likely to differ from that set out in the Quality Contract Scheme process. The intended outcome of franchising is similar to that of a Quality Contract Scheme, although there are likely to be some differences. For example, the ten-year time limit that applies to Quality Contract Schemes is not expected to apply under franchising.

Driving under Influence

Mims Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many fatalities were caused by traffic collisions involving persons under the influence of (a) cannabis and (b) illegal drugs in each of the last five years.

Andrew Jones: The statistical data that the police provide to the Department about personal-injury road traffic accidents does not include explicit information on the use of illegal drugs. The data do not attribute blame or responsibility for the cause of the accident either.However, the records do include information on what factors police officers thought had contributed to the accident. The contributory factor ‘Impaired by drugs (illicit or medicinal)’ is recorded when a police officer thought that a driver or rider was affected by drugs. This factor not only includes the use of illegal drugs but also medicinal drugs, whether prescription or ‘over the counter’, which could have had an effect on someone’s driving. No split between illegal and medicinal drugs is available.The number of fatalities in reported road accidents in Great Britain in which the contributory factor ‘Impaired by drugs (illicit or medicinal)’ was reported for 2010 to 2014 can be found in the table below.201042201154201232201336201455It should be noted that contributory factors are only recorded when police officers attended the scene of the accidents; this should be the case for the majority of fatal accidents. The factors are based on police officers’ judgements at the scene and may not include factors that were only discovered after a full investigation of the accident was carried out.Drug driving is a menace which is why the Coalition government created a new offence of driving with a specified controlled drug in the body above the specified limit for that drug, with the aim of making it easier for the police to tackle those who drive after taking illegal drugs.

Motor Vehicles: Fires

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the number of Vauxhall Zafiras which have caught fire in the last six months; and what discussions his Department has had with Vauxhall on the number of other such cars catching fire in a similar way.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) currently holds 45 reports, since January 2015, of fires on Vauxhall Zafira on its database.It holds 10 reports where owners of Vauxhall Zafiras have raised concerns regarding the issue but have not actually suffered a vehicle fire. DVSA is working with the manufacturer to investigate this serious safety issue and is aware that they hold additional reports of fires on the Zafira model; however, DVSA is not aware of how many. DVSA is not currently aware of any defect trends regarding vehicle fires on any other model of Vauxhall's or any other make of vehicle.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency: Pensions

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has been unable to provide MyCSP with accurate pension data for its staff on which pension benefit statements can be based; and by what date he expects that matter to be resolved.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is not able to provide myCSP with accurate pensions data on its staff because of an ongoing technical issue with the interface between its shared service supplier and myCSP.All parties are working on a permanent solution and the MCA understands that this issue will be fixed early in 2016.

Transport: Rural Areas

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what total length of new (a) road and (b) rail was laid in rural areas between 2010 and 2015; what the cost to the public purse was of such new road and rail; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: RoadsThe Department does not publish an estimate of total new road constructed in England for any point in time. However, it does publish estimates of road length in each year as part of the Road Lengths in Great Britain National Statistics release. The latest available information is for 2014 and is available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/road-network-size-and-condition.In England, the total length of rural local authority managed classified ‘A’ road and rural minor road increased by 367 miles between 2010 and 2014. The length of motorway managed by local authorities remained constant between 2010 and 2014.The length of rural trunk ‘A’ road in England increased by 7 miles between 2010 and 2014. The Department does not publish separate road length figures for urban and rural motorways, although total trunk motorway length increased by 22 miles.The Department for Communities and Local Government publishes information on expenditure by local authorities on the construction and improvement of roads in England. This information is not disaggregated to show spend on rural roads and therefore represents expenditure on roads in all areas by authorities. This information is available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-capital-expenditure-receipts-and-financing.RailThere has been very little change to the length of Network Rail routes open for traffic across Great Britain between 2010 and 2015. The focus has been on making more intensive use of the existing network with additional train services and new stations as the Government undertakes the largest rail investment programme since Victorian times.The Office of Rail and Road publishes statistics annually on the total length of rail route on its Data Portal (http://dataportal.orr.gov.uk). Information is not available for rural routes.More detail about Network Rail’s expenditure can be found in its regulatory accounts, which are available on its website: http://www.networkrail.co.uk

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Nepal: Borders

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that medical and fuel supplies for Nepal are not blocked by the Indian government.

Mr Hugo Swire: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 26 November 2015 (PQ 17369) and 16 November (PQ 15614).

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Labour Mobility

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many civil servants in his Department are in the redeployment pool.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not have a redeployment pool.

Commonwealth: Overseas Trade

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government held discussions with Commonwealth Heads of Government at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference in Malta in November 2015 on increasing the proportion of the UK's trade with Commonwealth countries.

Mr Hugo Swire: I spoke at the Commonwealth Business Forum to underline the British Government’s strong interest in strengthening our international trade links. The Minister for Trade and Investment, the right hon the Lord Maude of Horsham, addressed the same forum on the importance of leveraging trade networks across the Commonwealth. He also pushed for progress on free trade agreements that will facilitate and increase trade between Commonwealth countries, as well as promoting direct trade with the UK in meetings with ministers from Ghana, Nigeria, Bangladesh, the Bahamas, and Malawi.In negotiations on the CHOGM communiqué, the UK ensured Commonwealth leaders committed to advance global trade negotiations, including during the WTO ministerial in Kenya this December, and to encourage more states to ratify the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement.

Department for International Development

Malaria: Overseas Aid

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department plans to continue to spend £500 million per year on tackling malaria.

Mr Nick Hurd: The UK Government is committed to remain a world leader in tackling global diseases like malaria.In the recent Spending Review we announced the Ross Fund, which will provide £1 billion to support research and implementation to tackle malaria and other infectious diseases. This will be one part of DFID’s balanced portfolio of investments in malaria control, delivered through bilateral and multilateral channels, support to health systems and service delivery and support to research.The UK has pledged a contribution to the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria of up to £1 billion between 2014 and 2016, subject to a 10% donor share cap. This will dramatically improve the lives of millions of people, saving approximately 580,000 lives by preventing 8.4m new malaria, HIV and TB infections. Our future contributions to the Global Fund are being considered as part of the Spending Review.We will lay out further investment plans in the future.

Climate Change: Overseas Aid

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans she has for her Department's Future Fit Programme in each year between 2015-16 and 2019-20.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Future Fit initiative (2013-15) was an internal process to shape DFID’s response to climate change and resource scarcity in its development investments. Building on the lessons learnt through Future Fit, as set out in the new ODA strategy for the 2015 Spending Review DFID will have a greater focus on climate-smart development – particularly through investments in infrastructure, agriculture, cities, water and sanitation and health.Through the International Climate Fund to date, the UK has helped over 15 million people cope with the effects of climate change and given 2.6 million people access to clean energy. The Prime Minister recently announced that over the next five years the UK’s climate funding will increase by at least 50%.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the net effect of her Department's projects on greenhouse gas emissions in each of the next five years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The principal channel through which the UK Government targets reductions in greenhouse gas emissions overseas is the International Climate Fund (ICF), managed jointly by DFID, DECC and Defra.The ICF seeks to prevent emissions by supporting countries to shift to cleaner, low carbon approaches and technology. The expected savings by the end of this financial year are over 6 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. This is a result of a variety of programmes and interventions across developing countries which seek to exploit the economic benefits of clean energy technologies, avoid locking countries and cities in to high-carbon futures, help poor people to access energy, and reduce the risks of harmful climate change.The latest results for greenhouse gas emission reductions, both achieved, expected to be achieved (by April 2016), and expected over the full lifetime of the programmes are as follows:Achieved results (results reported by April 2015)Expected results by April 2016Expected total benefits*Reduction in Greenhouse Gas emissions (Tonnes of CO2e)2,300,0006,600,000440,000,000*Some ICF programmes will continue to deliver results long after our financial support ends. Expected total benefit figures include long term legacy benefits beyond the lifetime of the programmes, and outside of the 2011 – 2016 Spending Review period.The full set of ICF results can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/463954/ICF_Results_Note_Final.pdf

Department for Education

ICT: Qualifications

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will review the effect of the decision to discontinue GCSE and A-level qualifications in information communication technology on future levels of IT literacy skills for the workplace; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The rigorous new Computer Science GCSE and A level qualifications, backed by industry experts, will enable pupils to progress to further study and employment. The inclusion of Computer Science in the EBacc reflects its rigorous academic standards. The decision has therefore been made not to redevelop further IT qualifications in a related area of study.Through computer science, students will develop their computational thinking skills, learn to code and understand information technology topics such as cyber security, networking and data storage. There are also a number of vocational options for students at Key Stage 4 and opportunities for further specialism at Key Stage 5. For 14-16 year olds, technical awards have a focus on practical and technical subjects and offer an opportunity to gain experience and knowledge in areas such as digital literacy and web design. For 16-19 year olds, high quality vocational qualifications provide progression to higher education and employment and prepare students well for that purpose.This builds on our changes to the national curriculum where we have replaced the outdated ICT programme of study with a new computing programme of study. The new computing curriculum has been designed to facilitate innovation and creativity from both teachers and pupils and emphasise the importance of learning about the fundamentals of computer science.

Children's Centres

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the national consultation on the future of children's centres will be launched; what its terms of reference will be; and what the timetable is for responses to be received and the Government to announce its proposals.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We value the services provided by children’s centres. We intend to consult to see what role children’s centres should play to ensure they are able to have the most impact as part of integrated local services for families. An independent survey carried out by the national children’s charity, 4Children (published October 2015) estimated more than a million children and families are now using children’s centres.The consultation will offer parents, carers, local authorities and key stakeholders the opportunity to influence and drive what we expect from children’s centre services and where we see them having the greatest impact. We plan to launch the consultation shortly.

Gender Recognition: Education

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department issues on teaching of transgender issues to (a) four year olds and (b) other school children.

Edward Timpson: Whilst schools have the autonomy to teach about gender at KS1-4 as part of their personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, transgender is not prescribed in lessons for pupils age 4 (KS0).Gender is an important aspect of identity and developing a positive sense of one’s identity is a significant part of growing up. Schools can help to develop pupils’ understanding and respect, through the age-appropriate teaching of transgender issues. Schools can also provide any pupils who are questioning their gender with a nurturing and supportive environment.Schools in England can teach about transgender issues in their PSHE lessons, drawing on the guidance and resources available. The PSHE Association has produced a suggested programme of study as guidance for teachers, which includes teaching about gender and gender identity at key stages 2, 3 and 4. The programme of study is available on-line at: https://www.pshe-association.org.uk/content.aspx?CategoryID=1004The education of four year olds in England is covered by the Early Years FoundationStage (EYFS) Statutory Framework which sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop and are kept healthy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for future progress.

Pupil Premium

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what evidence her Department holds that pupil premium funding improves the life chances of pupils at schools which receive that funding.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Raising the educational achievement of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds is key to improving their life chances. The government is determined to deliver educational excellence everywhere so that every child, regardless of background, reaches their potential.Over the last Parliament, £6.25 billion was invested in the pupil premium to give schools additional resource for raising the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. The Public Accounts Committee’s recent report on funding for disadvantaged pupils recognises the government’s success in narrowing the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers since the introduction of the pupil premium.Key stage 2 reading, writing and maths results for disadvantaged pupils rose by almost 6 percentage points from 2012 to 2014, narrowing the gap with other pupils by over 2 percentage points. This information is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-curriculum-assessments-at-key-stage-2-2014-revised.The Department's key stage 4 gap index measure also shows year-on-year improvement between 2012 and 2014 (from 3.89 to 3.74). This measure was introduced to allow for more reliable comparisons during a period of exam reform.This information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/measuring-disadvantaged-pupils-attainment-gaps-over-time.Recent data also show that an increasing number of disadvantaged pupils go on to a sustained education destination after secondary school (rising from 80% to 83% between 2013 and 2014). This information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/provisional-destinations-key-stage-4-and-5-pupils-2013-to-2014.

Children: Cerebral Palsy

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve awareness of cerebral palsy among people working in children's services.

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the effect of the SEND code of practice on educational provision for children with cerebral palsy.

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve awareness of cerebral palsy among pupils and staff working in schools.

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of regional variations in the level of education provision for children with cerebral palsy.

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what provisions exist to ensure that children with cerebral palsy have access to appropriate specialist education facilities.

Edward Timpson: The reforms introduced in September 2014 will ensure that all children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) aged 0 to 25, including those with cerebral palsy, have improved access to the support they need.Local authorities are responsible for meeting the educational needs of all children with SEND within their local area. They must co-ordinate education, health and care provision for individual children and ensure that young people and parents are involved in discussions about their individual support and about local provision more generally. Statutory Local Offers published by each local authority must set out what support is available for all children and young people with SEND in their area, including those with more complex needs.The reforms detailed in the SEND Code of Practice were drawn up in consultation with a wide range of interested parties, many of whom represented the interests of children and young people with specific impairments. They are intended to improve outcomes for every child or young person with SEND by placing them at the heart of a system designed to respond to their individual needs and aspirations.The Department has not assessed the impact of the SEND Code of Practice, or regional variations in provision, on the basis of any specific impairment but is monitoring implementation closely.This monitoring includes inputs from annual data collection; termly surveys of local authorities and Parent Carer Forums; and feedback from specialist SEND Advisers and funded voluntary sector organisations. From May 2016, this monitoring will be enhanced by a new joint Ofsted/CQC inspection framework for SEND, which is currently the subject of a national consultation.Schools are required by the Children and Families Act 2014 to identify the SEN of the pupils they support and to use their best endeavours to make sure that they get the support they need. Teachers are expected to be able to adapt their teaching to the needs of all pupils, and to have an understanding of the factors that can inhibit learning and how to overcome them.To support the school workforce, the Department has funded almost 11,000 SEN Coordinators to attain Masters-level national awards between 2009 and 2014, at a cost of almost £33 million; is funding SEND conferences for school leaders and supporting the development of a ‘SEND gateway’ for education professionals, which offers a wide range of online training and information.

Teachers: Training

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers or trainee teachers received each of the scholarship and bursaries for teacher training courses in each subject in each of the last four years.

Nick Gibb: Initial teacher training (ITT) bursaries of varying amounts are available to eligible trainees, depending on the academic year in which they undertake their ITT, the subject in which they are training to teach and their highest relevant academic award. The amounts and eligible subjects change each year based on assessment of need informed by the targets and past performance.Scholarships are awarded to those trainees who have gone through an additional selection procedure over and above that of their chosen ITT provider. These were available in 2012/13 in physics, and from 2013/14 in chemistry, computing, maths and physics.The table below shows a breakdown of the total number of trainees who have received training bursaries and scholarships (where relevant) over the last full four academic years, 2011/12, 2012/13, 20/13/14 and 2014/15.Table 1: Summary of the number of trainees that received training bursaries or scholarships in academic years 2011/12, 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15Academic yearBursaryScholarshipTotal2011/12634806,3482012/13167598716,8462013/141743420117,6352014/151635942216,781

Academies: Finance

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many academies in each local authority area were in deficit in each year since 2009-10; and what the total deficit was in academies in each such area in each of those years.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Academies: Finance

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many academies were in deficit in each year since 2009-10; and what the total deficit was in academies in each such year.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Teachers: Training

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many new entrants there were in undergraduate programmes by subject for Initial Teacher Training for 2015-16.

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons targets and breakdown of recruitment by subject for undergraduate trainees were not included in the Initial Teacher Training census 2015-16.

Nick Gibb: In the academic year 2015 to 2016 there were 5,440 first year undergraduate trainees.The 2015 to 2016 Teacher Supply Model sets the target for postgraduate trainees and takes account of the number of undergraduate trainees completing a course in 2016 when meeting future teacher requirements. We allocated places for undergraduate courses using criteria as set out in the published guidance.

Teachers: Training

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the (a) overall target and (b) target for each subject for new entrants to Initial Teacher Training for 2015-16 is, when the same Teacher Supply Model methodology that was applied in 2014-15 is used.

Nick Gibb: The requested information is not available.The Department for Education published the 2016/17 Teacher Supply Model (TSM) alongside initial teacher training (ITT) place recruitment controls on 14 October 2015. Both the 2015/16 and 2016/17 versions of the TSM are available online at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-supply-model

Regional School Commissioners

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, who the Regional School Commissioners are; how many schools are located in each of the regions for which they are responsible; and how many schools in their area each commissioner has not visited since taking up that role.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Teachers and Classroom Assistants: Per Capita Costs

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her most recent estimate is of the average annual cost to a (a) school and (b) local authority of employing a (i) teacher and (ii) classroom assistant; and what forecast she has made of the likely equivalent cost in each year from 2015-16 to 2019-20.

Nick Gibb: The latest statistics on the average salaries of teachers employed by schools and local authorities in England are in Tables 8 and 9 of the ‘School Workforce in England: November 2014’ statistical release which was published in July 2015: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2014The latest available statistics on the average salaries of teaching assistants employed by schools and local authorities in England were published in PQ856 in June 2015 in Hansard at the following link:http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-06-02/856/The Department for Education’s pay reforms have given schools greater flexibility to decide how much to pay their teachers and how quickly their pay progresses over time.Future average salaries of teachers will be informed by the annual recommendations of the School Teachers Pay Review Body; the pay of teaching assistants and school support staff are set by schools themselves. The department does not produce forecasts of future average pay for these staff.

Academies: Rural Areas

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools in rural areas rated by Ofsted as inadequate became academies in 2014-15.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Teachers: Pay

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of classroom teachers earning £65,000 or more per year are women.

Nick Gibb: The data provided to the Department for Education by schools in the School Workforce Census, November 2014, shows that 72 per cent of classroom teachers earning £65,000 or more were women.

Schools: Finance

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria she plans to include in the national funding formula for schools; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The government is committed to delivering our manifesto pledge to make school funding fairer. It was announced at the Spending Review that we intend to introduce a National Funding Formula for schools, high needs and early years in 2017. We will set out our detailed plans for a National Funding Formula, including the criteria to be included in the formula for schools, in the New Year and will consult on our proposals extensively.

Leader of the House

Leader of the House of Commons: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Leader of the House, on how many occasions a special adviser in his Office accompanied a Minister on an overseas trip since May 2015.

Chris Grayling: No Ministers in my office have been on an offical overseas trip since May 2015.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Research

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much of his Department's funding allocated in the Spending Review 2015 will be for research and development expenditure up to 2020.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Spending Review 2015 set out settlements for departments and showed how the government will deliver on its priorities, eliminate the deficit, and deliver security and opportunity for working people.Final decisions on internal departmental funding allocations for future years, including for research and development, will be set out in due course.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Public Appointments

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will publish equality and diversity monitoring statistics on public appointments by his Department's executive agencies and non-governmental bodies.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture Media and Sport already submits statistics on equality and diversity monitoring for its public appointments, to the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.These statistics are incorporated into theAnnual Statistical Survey of Ministerial Appointments and Reappointments​, published by OCPA.In addition, the Department provides information to the Cabinet Office on the percentage of public appointments made to women. These statistics, broken down by Department,are published onGOV.UKhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/diversity-in-public-appointments

Horse Racing: Betting

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what timetable he has set for the implementation of the Horserace Betting Right; and if he will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch: Work is continuing on the detailed policy design of the replacement for the existing levy. We will make a further announcement in due course.

Broadband

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when the Government plans to publish its final findings from the eight market test pilots under the Exploring superfast coverage beyond 95 per cent programme.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Broadband Delivery UK’s Market Test Pilot scheme has been exploring alternative technologies, including wireless, with the aim of better informing how to provide superfast broadband to the hardest to reach premises. The results of these pilots will be published soon.

Broadband

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of households have access to broadband of at least 24Mbps; how many households are unable to receive a service of at least 2Mbps; and how many households use satellite broadband.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Ofcom’s Connected Nations Infrastructure Report 2015 states that in May 2015, more than four out of five households had access to broadband of at least 24Mbps; and 98% of premises could access speeds of 2Mbps or more (http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/infrastructure/2015/downloads/connected_nations2015.pdf).Throughout this month, the Government - working with local authorities and the devolved administrations - is rolling out a scheme to provide access to subsidised satellite broadband to all premises with speeds below 2Mbps. This scheme offers immediate assistance to those homes and businesses in the most remote areas with the slowest speeds and is part of our transformation of the UK's digital landscape. In addition, the Prime Minister recently announced the ambition to give people the legal right to request a connection to broadband with speeds of 10 Mbps, no matter where in the country they live.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Seas and Oceans: Acidification

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on the level of atmospheric carbon concentration required to prevent harmful ocean acidification; what assessment she has made of the effect of ocean acidification under atmospheric carbon concentration scenarios used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on (a) marine species and (b) coastal populations; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: Defra and DECC have together supported the UK Ocean Acidification Programme to better understand the impacts of climate change on our seas.Although we are still awaiting the final summary report, outputs from the programme point to a complex range of effects on marine species and ecosystems resulting from the interplay between acidification and temperature increase. The economic effects on coastal populations are uncertain at this point though preliminary work indicates they are likely to be increasingly negative as the century progresses.However, by reducing emissions in line with the stringent emissions scenario produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Representative Concentration Pathway 2.6) which is consistent with keeping mean global temperature increase below 2°C, we would significantly increase the options for protection, adaptation and repair of the ocean.This is why the UK Government is seeking ambitious global action on climate change this month in Paris to protect our oceans in the future.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Energy: Tax Allowances

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent representations she has received from community energy companies on removal of their entitlement to social investment tax relief.

Andrea Leadsom: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 02 December 2015.The correct answer should have been:

My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change has not received any direct representations from community energy companies on removal of their entitlement to social investment tax relief, however this is an HM Treasury policy lead.Further to my previous answer, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change has now received a small number of representations from community energy companies on removal of their entitlement to social investment tax relief. These have been transferred to HM Treasury as the policy lead on this matter.

Andrea Leadsom: My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change has not received any direct representations from community energy companies on removal of their entitlement to social investment tax relief, however this is an HM Treasury policy lead.Further to my previous answer, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change has now received a small number of representations from community energy companies on removal of their entitlement to social investment tax relief. These have been transferred to HM Treasury as the policy lead on this matter.

Carbon Sequestration

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what bids her Department received for the carbon capture and storage technology completion which the Government is no longer funding.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Carbon Sequestration: EU Grants and Loans

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much EU funding was allocated to the operation of carbon capture and storage projects which is not now available for spending on UK projects.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Carbon Sequestration

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she made of the value for money of carbon capture and storage before the Government's carbon capture and storage competition was suspended; and how much from the public purse had been spent on that competition at the time of suspension.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Carbon Sequestration

Callum McCaig: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department made of the value for money of the carbon capture and storage project bids.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Carbon Sequestration

Callum McCaig: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions she had with bidders for the carbon capture and storage competition prior to the decision to withdraw funding earmarked for that competition.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Carbon Sequestration

Callum McCaig: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the Government's future plans are for carbon capture and storage.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Carbon Sequestration

Callum McCaig: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on (a) the supply chain and (b) existing infrastructure of the Government's decision to cancel the carbon capture and storage competition.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Attorney General, on how many occasions a special adviser in the Law Officers' Departments accompanied a Minister on an overseas trip since May 2015.

Robert Buckland: None. The Attorney General's Office does not employ any special advisers.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, on how many occasions a special adviser in his Department accompanied a Minister on an overseas trip since May 2015.

Stephen Crabb: There are no instances in which a Wales Office Special Advisor has accompanied a Minister on an overseas trip since May 2015.

Wales Office: Domestic Visits

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many times he has visited each parliamentary constituency in Wales in an official capacity in the 2015-16 session of Parliament.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Justice

Legal Aid Scheme

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the reduction in the number of legal aid cases taken on by solicitors in the private sector; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the change to legal aid provision on such solicitors take up of such cases.

Mr Shailesh Vara: When reform began we had an unsustainably expensive legal aid system - costing more than £2 billion every year. We still have a very generous system, last year we spent £1.6bn on legal aid, around a quarter of the department’s expenditure.Statistics on legal aid in England and Wales are published every quarter, presenting the key statistics on workload and expenditure across both the criminal and civil legal aid schemes. The statistics are available via https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/legal-aid-statistics. The vast majority of legal aid work is carried out by solicitors working in the private sector. It is difficult to summarise workloads across the legal aid system meaningfully within a single number because there is no single definition of a case that applies to all of the diverse services being provided, so users of legal aid statistics are best advised to look at trends in workload for each area of legal aid separately.For many areas of civil law, the implementation of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) led to a reduction of workload for solicitors in areas where legal aidwas reduced.LASPO did not change eligibility or scope in relation to criminal legal aid.

Driving Offences: Sentencing

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislation to encourage the greater use of non-custodial sentencing options for driving offences where danger was caused but with no evidence of intent or wilful risk-taking on the part of the driver.

Andrew Selous: Parliament sets the maximum penalties for driving offences and it is for the courts to decide what sentence to impose, taking into account aggravating and mitigating factors of the offence and the offender, and in line with the sentencing guidelines. The previous Secretary of State established a review into these issues. We are considering how to take this forward. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State is meeting colleagues to discuss this issue in the new year.

Criminal Proceedings

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of criminal court cases involved more than one perpetrator in the latest year for which information is available.

Mike Penning: In 2014, 9,578 Criminal Court Cases in the Crown Court involved more than one defendant. This figure equates to a total of 7.4% of all Criminal Court Cases in the Crown Court as a total of all case disposals for each case type. Further information can be located at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-court-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2015It is not possible to identify whether there are multiple defendants for cases in magistrates’ courts, owing to the way cases and hearings are recorded within the central reporting database.

Children: Protection

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies on child protection of the recommendations of HM Inspectorate of Prisons' thematic report on Behaviour management and restraint of children in custody, published in November 2015.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recommendations of HM Inspectorate of Prisons' thematic report on Behaviour management and restraint of children in custody, published in November 2015.

Andrew Selous: Restraint is only be used as a last resort, when young people are putting their own safety and the safety of others at risk.The recent report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons welcomed our new arrangements, which are designed to limit the use of physical restraint on young people in custody as far as possible.The report does raise some concerns over how the new system is operating and we will carefully consider its recommendations.

Magistrates' Courts: Repairs and Maintenance

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much has been spent on maintaining former Magistrates' Courts in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013, (e) 2014 and (f) 2015 to date.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Magistrates' Courts: Fines

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2015 to Question 17720, if he will take steps to ensure that magistrates' courts seek confirmation of income by means of P60s, payslips, certified accounts or letters confirming benefit entitlement when assessing the level of fines on the basis of income.

Andrew Selous: Defendants before the magistrates’ court are already required to complete a “Statement of Assets and other Financial Circumstances” form which the court takes into account when deciding the amount of any fine or other financial imposition. Defendants are also advised to bring copies of any supporting documentation with them on the day of their hearing, as the court may ask to see evidence of their financial circumstances. The form makes it clear that it is an offence to make a false statement or withhold information.

Prisons: Construction

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the (a) average cost of building new prisons planned by the Government and (b) length of time it will take from conception to completion to build such a prison.

Andrew Selous: £1.3bn will be invested to reform and modernise the prison estate to make it more efficient, safer and focused on supporting prisoner rehabilitation. The government will build nine new, modern prisons, five of which will open in this Parliament and the rest shortly after.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to modernise the courts and tribunals system.

Mr Shailesh Vara: We have secured over £700m of funding to invest in our courts and tribunals. We have worked closely with the senior judiciary to develop a plan to reform our courts system so it delivers swifter, fairer justice for everyone in England and Wales at a lower cost. This is a once in a generation opportunity to create a modern, user focused and efficient courts and tribunals service.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Digital Technology

Stephen Metcalfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to increase the use of digital technology in the courts and tribunals system.

Mr Shailesh Vara: We have secured over £700m of funding to invest in our courts and tribunals system so they deliver swifter, fairer justice. Together with the Crown Prosecution Service, we are already developing shared digital technology for criminal justice so that all can work from the same digital case files. We have introduced online pleas and fines for traffic offences. Courts are now trialling extended opening hours, new ways of scheduling cases to avoid frustration and delays, and extending the use of video links.

Judicial Review

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to reform judicial review.

Dominic Raab: The government has always been clear that judicial review, when used properly, is a crucial component of the rule of law.But too often the system is open to abuse. That is why we have taken forward reform, such as the creation of the Planning Court, which we have implemented with the assistance of the judiciary, and the changes in the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015, which we are implementing. The reforms will speed up the process for people who have arguable grounds and a genuine case to put.

Bill of Rights

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what rights protected in the Human Rights Act 1998 the Government plans not to include in the proposed British Bill of Rights.

Dominic Raab: We have been clear that the Bill of Rights will remain faithful to the basic principles which we signed up to in the European Convention on Human Rights. Our focus will be on mitigating the expansion of rights by the Strasbourg Court and the Human Rights Act. This government is as committed as any to upholding such rights, which underpin any civilised society, but we also want to prevent abuse of the system.

Cabinet Office

Hacking

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to reduce the cost to the economy of computer hacking.

Matthew Hancock: The Government takes cyber security very seriously: since 2011 we have invested £860 million in a National Cyber Security Programme to protect the UK from cyber attack. Measures have included: setting up a National Cyber Crime Unit, establishing CERT-UK – a computer emergency response team, creating a Cyber Information Sharing Partnership for companies to share information, the Cyber Essentials Scheme for businesses, cyber risk reviews for companies and developing cyber initiatives into the education process.We will invest £1.9b in cyber security over the next five years to protect the UK from cyber attack. This ambitious level of investment will include: a programme of active cyber defence; creation of a National Cyber Centre and an ambitious skills programme.

Long Term Unemployed People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2015 to Question 17301, what proportion of (a) males aged 16 to 24, (b) males aged 16 to 18, (c) males aged 19-20, (d) males aged 21-22, (e) males aged 23-24, (f) women aged 16 to 18, (g) women aged 19-20, (h) women aged 21-22 and (i) women aged 23 to 34 had been unemployed for more than 12 months on the latest date for which figures are available.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Unemployment
(PDF Document, 82.22 KB)

Government Departments: Ministers' Private Offices

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2015 to Question 8466, whether any further Departments have established or are planning to establish an Extended Ministerial office.

Matthew Hancock: An Extended Ministerial Office has been approved in the Scotland Office.

House of Commons Commission

House of Commons: Electronic Voting

Richard  Arkless: To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, what consideration has been given to moving to digital voting in the House.

Tom Brake: The Commission has given no formal consideration to a move to digital voting in the House. Its responsibility in this matter is limited to any financial or staffing implications of any change to the present system, were a change to be agreed by the House.In January 2015 the Speaker’s Commission on Digital Democracy recommended that the House should move to record votes using Members’ security passes but retain the tradition of walking through division lobbies. The House has not yet been invited to respond to this recommendation. House officials have undertaken some preparatory studies in the event of the House deciding to endorse this proposal. Members wishing to pursue the issue can seek a debate via the Backbench Business Committee or raise it with the Procedure Committee. It would also be open to Ministers to bring forward proposals.Accurate recording of divisions and timely publication of division lists are critical business activities of the House of Commons. The House Service has therefore been investigating means of electronic recording of divisions since October 2014, with a view to improving the timely publication of division lists, making division data more accessible to the public and easier to analyse, and improving accuracy. A trial was held in the House in March 2015 in which seven divisions were recorded in part by division clerks on tablet devices. Full implementation of tablet recording of divisions is expected to take place early in 2016. In the meantime, any divisions held under the new English votes for English laws procedure will be recorded on tablet devices, because the tablets can generate the results required under the ‘double-majority’ system. Electronic recording of votes by division clerks will not in itself alter the requirement for Members to vote by walking through the lobbies.